Recognized by trapezoidal and convexly rounded pronotum, shiny dorsum with punctation on pronotum and distinct rows of punctures along clavus and corium of hemelytron, wide emboliar margins, and shape of male genitalia.

The combination of the basally toothed claw, the relatively wide embolium along the lateral margins of the hemelytron, the shiny and punctate pronotum and hemelytron, and the membranous endosoma clearly place this genus in the Hyaliodini as it is currently defined. Both species also have two apical endosomal spicules and multiple membranous lobes that correspond to other members of Deraeocorinae and Hyaliodini ( Akingbohungbe 1979).

Philicoris is similar to the Neotropical genus Antias Distant in size and lacks a demarcation between the anterior and posterior portions of the pronotum but instead is tumid, and the hemelytron is not completely hyaline lines ( Carvalho 1982). The calli are also not well developed. Unlike Antias, however, Philicoris has a smooth membrane without any setae, the eyes do not cover the entire area of the head in lateral view, and Philicoris has rows of punctation on the surface of the corium, embolium and claval suture lines. Philicoris also differs from the African genera Obudua Linnavuori and Linnavuorista Akingbohungbe by the lack of a narrowed anterior margin, the former by the lack of distinctly swollen calli, and from the latter by lacking a distinct apical spur on the metafemur. The Palearctic and African genus Stethoconus Flor also differs from Philicoris; the latter lacks an anterior constriction to the pronotum, has a narrow collar, and has a relatively concolorous pronotum and hemelytron versus the highly patterned Stethoconus. For these reasons, we argue that this taxon represents a new genus.